Is the 'sunshine cure' a real thing? - CrowdScience, BBC World Service podcast

tweets. And it

real

ly seems like some

thing

like how we feel about the

world

around us changes as it gets warmer; It could be our brains getting a little overheated or it could just be some

thing

else about, you know, our mood. as the person she called asked. Did you set an optimal temperature where people seemed to be tweeting, I don't know, like more happy emojis and less bad words? Yes, in her case she discovered that people feel very comfortable at the temperatures you would expect. So, I mean, depending on where you are in the

world

, like 25°C.

People know when they feel comfortable and feel good. And I think that's what's good for the human body. I think we all have a certain intuition about this. And we try to look for it, but I think that's one of the reasons why we don't always

real

ize how much the environment around us and the temperature affects our mood. It's very difficult to be so self-aware that you realize that every time you get a little hot, you also get a little more cranky. Much of the research on our behavior and climate is irritatingly confusing. Growing a human being in optimal health conditions seems to be much more complicated than growing a tomato plant.

Some of us claim to love the winter cold, others thrive in bikinis. So what can I say with confidence? Serotonin is a key hormone that stabilizes our mood and feelings of happiness. Scientists who have looked at how sunlight affects the level of serotonin we can process in the spring and summer have concluded that it is not about temperature, but rather access to daylight and light. direct sunlight from outside, which makes the difference. But it seems our ability to make decisions may be affected by warm weather... After a cold spring, we're more likely to perform better on certain tasks when we've been out in the sun.

But heat sensitivity works in two ways. Once we start to feel uncomfortable under that sun, when it gets too hot, we become less good at problem solving and more likely to behave irrationally. Listener Michael wondered whether it's healthier for us to live in a warm, sunny climate, and it's a question that will influence billions of lives whether we like it or not, thanks to climate change. There are certain species in which an extra degree of heat is a matter of life or death. For us it's more subtle, but it's still very important. That's why economists like Solomon are getting involved.

Global warming will affect our behaviors and our health, and he wants to know how. Although most of us can't afford to move somewhere else, we are in a unique position, as a species doing all this research, to figure out how a warmer world will alter us. This way at least we can face the future better prepared. Thanks to Michael in Australia for asking this question and to him for the credits. We have reached the end of this week's CrowdScience. Today's question came from me, Michael, in gloomy Melbourne. The show was presented by Marnie Chesterton and produced by Marijke Peters.

If you have something that has been bothering you and you want the BBC team to investigate, write to them. The email address is

crowdscience

@bbc.co.uk